The Intersectionality Challenge

What is Intersectionality?

This week’s readings address intersectionality, the phenomenon of overlapping experiences of marginalization and social oppression. The term applies to people who identify as a combination of marginalized social categories, for instance based on race, class, gender, or sexual orientation. For example, a black woman, poor white woman, or gay Latino man may experience intersecting types of social oppression.

These women eloquently express the lived experiences of intersectional oppression through poetry, to raise awareness of perspectives that have been devalued and disregarded as socially irrelevant:

As this poem explicates, intersectionality provides an analytic lens, cautioning against unique forms of marginalization, and demanding that maximally suppressed voices be heard.

From “Multiculturalism” to “Toxicity” and “Respectability Politics”

But if the concept of intersectionality asks us to (ideally) seek to understand experiences of social oppression we are personally unfamiliar with, how much can every unique experience (pragmatically) be communicated and taken into account? Let’s use the example from the above poem: Feminism. All women are not subjected to the same brands of disadvantage. How should those differing experiences be dealt with, while keeping “Feminism” intact? In this example it is desirable to maximize solidarity because it translates into political power, social capital, and the ability to generate political activity and will around a clear set of agreed upon priorities.

In what form could Feminist theory be preserved, knowing that women experience womanhood differently depending on their race, class, etc?

Let’s consider Multiculturalism, a theory embodying the awareness that cultures you have never lived exist. Like parallel train tracks that never intersect, you (riding on one track) may be inherently unable to comprehend a different cultural experience (or what it would be like to ride on a different track).

Parallel train tracks demonstrate the inaccessibility of different cultures

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/32/d4/cc/32d4ccc1913f59b5241116a4bb257b06.jpg

A multicultural conception of Feminism would suggest that solidarity among Feminists living in different cultures, of different races and ethnicities, is rather impossible. While it is possible to understand passing trains from the outside, and respect them as they go by, only a limited understanding is possible. Thus, multiculturalism prescribes respect from afar rather than up-close-and-personal solidarity.

But what if, rather than fragment the social movement into a plethora of culture-based strands, we wished to maximize solidarity between all women? With this approach, we may gain political power and social recognition (nobody would be confused by different brands of Feminism). But recognition of intersectional oppressions (experienced, for instance, by women of color), would be lost. This is where phenomena that devalue “other” experiences and social justice goals, like toxicity and respectability politics, come into play.

This picture shows solidarity despite inherent differences of experience. Such solidarity is often not the case among Feminists due to disagreement over a common set of priorities and concerns:

Solidarity despite unique experiences of oppression

http://ottoobrandartivism.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/we-all-can-do-it.png

The Intersectionality Challenge

We, as theorists of social oppression, are therefore faced with the challenge of understanding intersectional concerns as salient and maintaining unconditional tolerance for difference, despite the fact that more expansive and detailed conceptions of social oppression may be more difficult to solve. Even though it may be more difficult to settle on a common agenda, the analytic lens of intersectionality is a useful and necessary tool that can be used to meaningfully bridge gaps of understanding, exchanging the parallel train-tracks metaphor for a web of solidarity in shared awareness, if not lived experience, of intersectionality.

A web of intersecting experiences and shared understandings

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Spider_web_with_dew_drops04.jpg

Discussion Questions

1) In movements that seek social justice for a group sharing common experiences of oppression, is it possible to build and maintain solidarity, despite variations in degree and kind of oppression experienced? For example, is there a Feminist platform that all women, although differing in race, class, and sexual orientation, would rally around and actively support? In other words, is it possible to build solidarity in social justice movements despite factions caused by differing experiences, and if so, how?

2) Intersectionality, taken to its extreme, could identify unique experiences of overlapping types of oppression down to the level of each individual; in theory, an infinite sub-grouping of intersectional experiences is possible. With this hypothetical claim in mind, how expansive should theories of power and subordination be? Is someone always going to be left out? Is there a point at which the theory is no longer understandable enough to be productive on a societal level?

3) Intersectionality offers as a useful analytic lens. In what ways, and in what fields, do you see it as being most productively applicable? In an ideal world, how would you apply it for social change?

Works Cited

Brock, André,  Lynette  Kvasny,  and  Kayla  Hales.  2010.  “Cultural  Appropriations  of  Technical  Capital: Black women, weblogs, and the digital divide.”  Information, Communication, Society 13 (7): 1040–59.

Carbado, Devon W., Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, Vickie M. Mays, and Barbara Tomlinson. 2013. “INTERSECTIONALITY:  Mapping  the  Movements  of  a  Theory.”  Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race 10 (02): 303–12.

Haslanger, Sally. “Topics in Feminism.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University, 07 Feb. 2003. Web. 03 Nov. 2014.

Khan, Aaminah. 2014. “Toxicity: The True Story of Mainstream Feminism’s Violent Gatekeepers.”Accessed November 3.

Nakamura,  Lisa.  2012.  “Queer  Female  of  Color:  The  Highest  Difficulty  Setting  There  Is?  Gaming  Rhetoric as Gender Capital.”  Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology.

Scalzi,  John.  2014.  “Straight  White  Male:  The  Lowest  Difficulty  Setting  There  Is.” Accessed November 3.

SlamPowProductions. “Feminist Freestyles: Intersectionality.” YouTube. YouTube, 24 Oct. 2014. Web. 03 Nov. 2014.

Song, Sarah. “Multiculturalism.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University, 24 Sept. 2010. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.

Technological Interventions for Food Insecurity in America

Food Insecurity in America: What We Know

We know that 1 in 6 Americans do not have enough food to eat. We know that food deserts are a real problem in America- places where the nearest grocery store is more than a half mile away, posing a considerable barrier for people without cars or sufficient public transportation, and where the nearest nutrition comes from fast food restaurants and liquor stores.

Thanks to Feeding America’s “Map the Meal Gap,” and USDA’s Food Access Research Atlas, we know pretty well where people are feeling the effects of America’s food insecurity most. As National Geographic astutely asks in their article that puts a face on American hunger and examines this issue in great depth, “why are people malnourished in the richest country on Earth?“:

We also know that this issue has racial overtones. African Americans are the demographic most likely to be hungry in school, and most likely to face life-long health problems from bad nutrition, and are at a severe disadvantage in this respect:

What We Don’t Know For Sure Yet

America has faced hunger as a public health concern for decades, as this CBS video put out in 1968 demonstrates:

The similarity between 1968 and 2014 is that hunger is still a national issue. The difference between then and now is that today we have infinitely more technological capacity at our fingertips. I agree with Senator McGovern that these greater resources imply a greater moral imperative to confront food insecurity and eradicate it:

So while we know we have more resources and capacity to do something than ever before, we do not quite know how to go about using those resources on a national scale.

Project Goals

I intend to investigate how technology can be harnessed to alleviate food insecurity and eradicate nutrition deserts in America. How can we harness the power of technology to educate and coordinate nutrition for everyone, leaving no demographic underserved? My plan is to document the most promising technological interventions currently being created and implemented.

For example, we know certain interventions, like more public transportation, and more available nutritious food, are valuable. But how can technology improve peoples’ access to transportation and nutrition? After some initial digging on google, it is clear innovators are starting to create solutions, like food trucks and mobile markets, apps, and other innovative approaches to using technology to eradicate food insecurity.

Simply stated, my goals are to:

1) raise awareness about American food insecurity and how it disproportionately affects certain demographics, because raising awareness is the first step toward meaningful social change,

2) highlight the most promising technological interventions that are working so far, in essence offering a policy agenda based on the most successful approaches, and

3) explore challenges and limitations that might get in the way of scaling these interventions nationally. I will use the sociological lens of race and technology to analyze and recommend solutions.

Project Details

First, I will further research to what extent are people using technology to address hunger? Second, I will infer from this research how technology could be used even more, and identify potential sociological complications- would cultural traditions need to be changed and people reeducated about healthy food choices? How could technology help expedite that reeducation process? Do such approaches sustainably empower the disadvantaged, or reinforce racial disparities?

Specifically, I will select two or three of the most promising technological interventions, for instance an app and a social-media-driven mobile market movement, and interview their creators and other leaders of the food-technology movement, asking them to what extent technology is enabling them to address hunger, and what hope they see for the future. Next, I will collect data on the feasibility of scaling these approaches nationally, i.e. are they worth it and would they be sustainable?

I will use Medium.com to create a story with pictures, because I believe pictures are powerful instruments of change, and I know people remember stories.

Medium is a multimedia platform that will allow me to tell a logically-ordered story with words and pictures. I will use it to highlight the problem, to highlight technological solutions, to highlight hope and challenges for the future, and to imagine what is possible.

Works Cited

Food + Tech Connect. Food + Tech Connect, 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

“Food Access Research Atlas.” USDA Economic Research Service. USDA, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

Gould, Danielle. “Fighting Food Deserts With An Android & Data For The Public Good.”

Food + Tech Connect. Food + Tech Connect, 20 Nov. 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

GREENSBOROOBSERVER. “A Developer’s Approach to Solving Food Deserts – Part One.” Greensboroobserver. Word Press, 23 Mar. 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

“Hunger & Justice Quotes.” Stop Hunger Now. Stop Hunger Now, 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

“Hunger in America: Food Insecurity Disproportionately Affects African-Americans.” TheGrio. N.p., 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

J, Garry. “Cbs Documentary Hunger in America (1968).” YouTube. YouTube, 12 Mar. 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

Lazarus, Paul Osinachi. “Food Desert App: User Study Design.” Paul Osinachi Lazarus. Paul Osinachi Lazarus, 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

“Map the Meal Gap.” Feeding America. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

McMillan, Tracie. “The New Face of Hunger.” National Geographic Magazine. National Geographic, 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

“Medium.” Medium. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

Why YOU should support net neutrality (if you’re not the CEO of a network provider, that is)

What exactly is “net neutrality” anyway?

Net neutrality is the idea that Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) cannot interfere with (prioritize, block, or degrade) content you want to access online. Under net neutrality, network providers are not allowed to charge content providers more to make their data more convenient for users to access, for instance controlling how long their site takes to load. As of now, net neutrality is not legally enforced.

Phone calls are net neutral; you receive calls in the order they are received. If you are on the phone with a friend and your boss calls, your boss cannot pay the phone company to make the call with your friend automatically cut off. Electricity works the same way; all the devices you plug into the wall have access to equal voltage.

Phone calls and electric outlets do not act on financial incentives. They do not charge more for faster service, or block use if they disagree with a user’s intention. The controversy is whether the web should be treated the same way.

Check out this video post on Youtube by http://SavetheInternet.com for a great visual explanation of net neutrality: 

What’s the big deal? Should you be concerned?

If you are not a corporate executive at a large ISP, you certainly have cause to worry. AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast would financially benefit from net neutrality not being enforced. These companies effectively hold monopolies over technological infrastructure that costs a lot to build. Most Americans have limited options and cannot switch ISPs if they do not agree with the company’s practices.

So if net neutrality is not legally mandated, the fear is that corporate and other moneyed perspectives on controversial issues will influence what you can access online. Online content or start-ups they perceive as threatening to their corporate interests can be blocked or its quality degraded, or they can increase profits by threatening to do so, and they can create and prioritize their own content. This could limit innovation, free speech, and the democratic dispersal of knowledge.

As SavetheInternet.com’s great video explicitly illustrates with the image of a young African American man creating a 2028 presidential campaign site, a neutral net gives minorities and young people an important tool for engaging in the democratic process, a launching pad for changing the world around them.

Still not concerned? Take a look at the bios and pictures of the executive leadership at AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast:

AT&T:

Verizon :

Comcast:

I hope the point I am intending to make here is clear. The people in command of a non-neutral net may have little incentive to allow space for minority thought online. Without mandated neutrality, there would be nothing preventing them from further marginalizing marginalized thought, from discriminating against racial experience they inherently cannot comprehend. Without net neutrality, nothing prevents them from catering to only the wealthiest customers.

According to the ACLU, what’s at stake here is discrimination that prevents democracy, freedom of speech, and innovation that strives upstream of the status quo.

In Obama’s words, a non-neutral net profoundly impacts “someone who doesn’t have a lot of money but has a good idea”: 

But do we have reason to worry that network providers would actually act unethically? 

Thanks for the optimism, but examples of telecom giants censoring content unfortunately do exist. In 2007 AT&T silenced several lines that expressed disapproval of George W. Bush during a concert Webcast, and later pleaded this censorship was an innocent mistake. Also in 2007 Verizon blocked text messages from an abortion rights group, claiming a legal right to decide what content to carry or block, and in 2005 a Canadian company, Telus, blocked a union website during a labor dispute within its own company.

Can we all agree?

It is evident that something needs to be done to prevent further abuses of ISP corporate power, but can everyone agree on an appropriate legal solution?

I say: if we want room for minority thought and innovation online, it is essential that the FCC mandate net neutrality. Most people want this anyway even if they don’t have the financial leverage to make their voices heard.

But not everyone agrees. Conservatives equate net neutrality with a government takeover, a regrettable stunting of free commerce. And more than 2.4 million people have signed their petition:

Addressed to the FCC chairman, the petition asserts the anti-regulation sentiments of Wall Street’s private investors, a point of view which decidedly overlooks the interests of diverse minorities.

The Federal Communications Commission issued an “Open Internet Order” in 2010 which the Federal Court struck down in 2014. More specifically, they upheld the Transparency rule (stating that ISPs must disclose network management practices, terms and conditions, so consumers and content providers are informed about their access and the risks of doing business with them), and struck down the no-blocking rule and no-unreasonable-discrimination rule.

In May of this year, the FCC asked for public comments on how best to preserve an open Internet. They received more than 3 million, a record number. It remains to be seen to what extent these comments will be incorporated into their final decision. Most recently they have proposed a rule that might let ISPs charge content companies for priority treatment, resulting in a tiered internet. This “solution” does little to alleviate our worries; ISPs would still be all-powerful gatekeepers, and this set up would cater to wealthier consumers, as content providers would pass along their high-tier costs to users.

Works Cited:

Anderson, Nate. “Pearl Jam Censored by AT&T, Calls for a Neutral ‘Net.” Ars Technica. Conde Nast, 9 Aug. 2007. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.

Austen, Ian. “A Canadian Telecom’s Labor Dispute Leads to Blocked Web Sites and Questions of Censorship.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 31 July 2005. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.

“Do Not Regulate the Internet.” Do Not Regulate the Internet. American Commitment, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.

“Executive Biographies.” Executive Biographies. Comcast, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.

“Executive Bios.” AT&T Investor Relations. AT&T, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.

Gross, Grant. “Conservatives Say That Net Neutrality Equates to Government Takeover of the Internet.” PCWorld. PCWorld, 1 Oct. 2014. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.

Gross, Grant. “FCC Receives Record 3 Million Net Neutrality Comments: What Now?” PCWorld. PCWorld, 16 Sept. 2014. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.

“Leadership Team.” Leadership Team – Bios and Pictures. Verizon, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.

Lin, Ray. “NET NEUTRALITY: Introduction.” NET NEUTRALITY: Introduction. University of California, Berkeley, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.

Liptak, Adam. “Verizon Rejects Text Messages From an Abortion Rights Group.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 26 Sept. 2007. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.

“Open Internet.” Home. Federal Communications Commission, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.

“Save the Internet.” Save the Internet. Free Press, 2014. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.

“Send Us Your Comments.” Home. Federal Communications Commission, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.

Videofreepress. “Obama: “I’m a Big Believer in Net Neutrality.”” YouTube. YouTube, 1 Feb. 2010. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.

Videofreepress. “What Is “Net Neutrality?”” YouTube. YouTube, 8 Apr. 2009. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.

“What Is Net Neutrality?” American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.

Wait, how are you NOT on Facebook? An introvert’s coming-to-terms with life online

Exploring new worlds

In the beginning, my interactions with computers were uncomplicated. As a self-identified introvert (even at age 7 or 8), I enjoyed entertaining myself with games rented from the library. I’d spend hours exploring Europe with Madeleine:

Madeleine’s international adventures (courtesy of Youtube.org)

I loved this virtual travel opportunity- experiencing animated versions of countries I’d never been to, hearing accents I’d never heard in my life. Madeleine and I had a fun, simple relationship. We were united by a common purpose- to find the thief, and to right the story’s wrong, and we appreciated each other as partners in the fight for justice.

Amplified insecurities

By the time high school rolled around, my use of computers became rather more complicated, and whether or not I felt comfortable having an online presence became a contentious subject.

Being on Facebook wasn’t half as fun as traversing Europe with a storybook character. I obsessively censored and re-censored pictures of me, risking friendships when this censorship process required I be untagged in a friend’s well-intended post, and constantly pursued that elusive ideal of a “cool” status update.

Off-line I am quite passionate about various social issues, global warming, politics. Needless to say, I never participated in debates about these issues on Facebook. What was the point? Your post was sure to offend someone, and what’s more, you would never know if your words might monumentally change what someone thought of you. It was this fear that paralyzed me into silence. Whenever I got up the nerve to break my silence, I immediately regretted it.

Over the years, I realized my self-esteem was far too tied to my Facebook identity- my intellectual self-image became defined by my hesitancy to vocalize my values and opinions online, and my physical self-image became dependent on a handful of pictures and likes. Whatever natural tendency I had to being social anxious surfaced with the help of this online tool, a trend experienced by other users as well, according to Marissa Maldonado:

http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-anxiety-of-facebook/00019448

But why did I care so much that my pictures met some subjective definition of hotness? Why was I so concerned that my words might offend?

Freshman year of college gave me a great justification to finally delete my account. After a few weeks of judging people I had just met by their profile pictures and soon-to-be-outdated high school personas, I decided the best way to explore this new world was through real, face-to-face interactions. Add to that a mild case of being stalked, a predicament that increased my all-too-not-virtual discomfort. Incidentally, it turns out cyber stalkers are approximately six times more likely to obsessively pursue relationships, according to this article by Amy Lyndon et al:

http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cyber.2010.0588

Not wanting to prove this statistic true, I left Facebook forever (or so I thought), and immediately felt liberated. I mean, who needs an online persona? I enthusiastically promised my friends I’d email them pictures throughout the summer, and I was happy to know the people I chose to share my with would not judge me as harshly as I’d assumed the majority of my Facebook “friends” had.

Engaging with the Real World

Up to now, I didn’t understand why anyone beyond my closest friends would care about my words or pictures, and I didn’t know why I should care about theirs. I didn’t understand why people felt the need to share so much of their lives publicly.

And then I interned at an organization working for social change within a socioeconomic and racial population that receives essentially no press time on their own terms, and certainly no positive media attention. With a minimal publicity budget, social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter are this organization’s primary means of generating awareness and support for their work. For a population severely underrepresented in national media, Facebook and Twitter are important tools for building grassroots movements, and for educating an oppressed population about what they can do to change the local and national status quo.

In other words, I saw social impact, and social inspiration, in action.

But still, why does anyone need to see my pictures? I am not a minority, and I do not run a social change organization. Well, as my boss said (paraphrased here for privacy reasons), there are a lot of sad things in the world- gun violence, drugs, sex trafficking, police homicide, etc.- and it’s great to be reminded daily through others’ Facebook posts of the joys of living. Entrenched in a community racked by such problems, I sincerely hope my joyful posts served this purpose for him.

I’d like to point out another great example of social media as a podium for inspirational change- Humans of New York, otherwise known as HONY. Here is proof that Facebook and other forms of social media can foster empathy and compassion between people living in vastly different regions of the world.

http://theambershow.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/hony-book-cover.jpg

Check out their website here: http://www.humansofnewyork.com

Needless to say, I’ve returned to social media with a vengeance. But this time I have a strategy and a purpose. My strategy? To use Facebook and Twitter as authentic sources of news authored by minority populations. My purpose? When necessary, to contradict mainstream news and express my values and opinions.

You can never know what affect your words and pictures will have, but I have come to realize what an incredible tool the digital world can be for amplifying any inspirational ripple you choose to initiate.

http://www.thewalkyourtalkcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/feba5def79608d9c289c04365e54b294.jpg

From an introverted perspective, it may take some time and thought to come to terms with putting your virtual self in the public spotlight. But be sure that when you do, it adds to, rather than subtracts from, the positive mark you decide to make on this world, real and virtual.

Works cited:

Creative Wonders. “90s Children’s Computer Games: Madeline’s European Adventures (1/6).” YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.

HONY Book Cover. Digital image. Http://theambershow.net. N.p., 2013. Web. 14 Sept. 2014. <http://theambershow.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/hony-book-cover.jpg&gt;.

“Humans of New York.” Humans of New York. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.

Lyndon, Amy, Jennifer Bonds-Raacke, and Alyssa D. Cratty. “College Students’ Facebook Stalking of Ex-Partners.” Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Publishers. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 6 July 2011. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.

Maldonado, Marissa. “The Anxiety of Facebook.” (2014): n. pag. Psych Central. Web. 14 Sept. 2014. <http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-anxiety-of-facebook/00019448&gt;.

Ripple effect. Digital image. Thewalkyourtalkcoach.com. N.p., 2014. Web. 14 Sept. 2014. <http://www.thewalkyourtalkcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/feba5def79608d9c289c04365e54b294.jpg&gt;.